Step 3: The Harder Way

Step 4: A Whole Other Way

This kind of hunt has nothing to do with clues but with string. Get a really big ball of string and run it around your house. Run it through windows,...

This is an instructable on how to set up a Christmas treasure hunt for your kids, family, or spouse. The treasure hunt doesn't have to be with a Christmas present, it could be a birthday present or anything like that. This instructable doesn't cost a lot of money, just a present or stocking, paper, a pen, a mind, and maybe string.

Step 1: The Easy Way

1. A present or stocking2. Some paper for clues3. A pen or pencil for writing your clues4. String (for step #4...a whole different concept of a treasure hunt)

5. A brain6. Whoever is doing the treasure hunt

Step 2: The Easy Way

This is the easy way...

1. make a list of clues and put them in their spots

example: Where do watch Family Guy? Look there! In that case you would put the next clue behind the TV

Once they look at the next clue it would lead them to another clue...make about 6 clues no matter how old they are, just make the difficulty easier for younger people and harder for older people.

At the end of the clues put the present, stocking, or whatever it is.

Step 3: The Harder Way

The way of the treasure hunt is exactly the same but your encorporate more callenges into the clues. Like, world jumbles, cryptograms, or writing the clues in a different language that the person is starting to learn.

example of a word jumble clue: ookl herwe ouy hasw ouyr lothcse.

Translation: look where you wash your clothes.

example of a cryptogram: zi obm pzvqaksbmj

Translation: in the dishwasher

example of a clue in part spanish: taped on the el espejo.

Translation: taped on the mirror.

Step 4: A Whole Other Way

This kind of hunt has nothing to do with clues but with string.

Get a really big ball of string and run it around your house. Run it through windows, doors, and up and down stairs. Mark the starting point (where you started running the string around) and at the end of the peice of string that was ran throughout the house put the present or stocking.

have the person follow the string from the starting point to the end where they'll find their present.

I love this Instructable!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i am going to do this for either my parents, my bother, or i will beg my parents to do this. i love this kind of thing, but i think my parents think that i am too old for them:( o well. i will do it for someone.

My oldest sister used to make these for me all the time - they were so much fun I didn't even need a prize at the end. Other ideas include drawing maps with fun instructions ("Starting at the potted plant, go ten paces east, 5 paces north, and look up") and making physical objects into clues (one was a little plastic tiger with wings glued on top, which was a reference to the West African Tiger Fly featured in a particular favorite book - the next clue was tucked in the pages). If you had lots of time, you could replace a DVD from their collection with a near copy, after splicing a video clue into the middle. By the way, my inner grammar cop can't help pointing out that "the el" in "taped on the el espejo" is redundant.

I did this exact thing with one of my girlfriend's presents this year. I took a big copy paper box, wrapped in brown paper. I wrote "I GOT YOU A LAPTOP!" on the outside. Inside was an old laptop I picked up, it's about 2 inches thick, weighs in at more than my guitar, and runs windows 98. Under that were 3 other boxes, numbered in order from 1-3. Box 1 was just a joke box, no clue in it. On the outside it said "FRAGILE: Handle With Care" so I crushed it and put in a box filled with nails and sprayed it with a bunch of nasty colognes/air fresheners to simulate a broken perfume bottle. Box 2 said "Remember what's in this box!" then there was a warning: "This Box May Contain GOAT" Inside I put a note that said "GOAT SRSLY." Box 3 had a map which led her from the living room out to the kitchen, up to the window. The blind had a note on it that said "Raise Me". I taped string on the outside of the window that said "Follow Me" in cursive, then led her outside, around my garage, back to the window, into the garage, to a locked toolbox. The toolbox had one of those word locks on it where the combo is a word. It was set to say GOAT, then next to it I put a note that said SRSLY with an arrow toward the lock. The password was SRSLY, she opened it, inside was a box with "For real this time. <3" on it. Inside was another gift box with her necklace in it. I believe she enjoyed it. I know I did. :D Sorry for the long post, but I wanted to explain it in detail...